Bob MacIntyre is aiming to maintain his Masters momentum by staying in the fast lane in this week’s Porsche Singapore Classic after swapping the PGA Tour for the DP World Tour for a second time this year. As was the case when the Oban man travelled from Hawaii to the Middle East for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, it’s been another long journey for this week’s appearance as the headline star at Laguna National Golf Resort Club. On this occasion, it started in Florida, where he finished ninth behind Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy in The Players Championship, and then involved heading more than 3,500 miles further east to his final destination. “I’m feeling alright just now,” insisted MacIntyre soon after arriving in Singapore at 9am local time on Wednesday. “I had a trip similar to it to Dubai from Hawaii, so I think it’s such a big time difference that I will be alright this week.” In the circumstances, the 28-year-old gave a good account of himself as he finished in the top 20 in Dubai and, though heavy rain is set to be an added factor for him on this occasion, something similar is the minimum target this week. MacIntyre heads home for a few days after this trip before putting the final touches to his preparation for an eagerly-awaited first Masters appearance since 2022, having finished joint-12th on his debut at Augusta National in 2021 then just missing out on a top-20 place the following year. “It’s massive,” said the left-hander of how important it is to maintain his momentum heading into the season’s first major. “I think I am starting to work out what is working for me and how to prepare week to week and I think the team around me is starting to work out the same thing. “Obviously we had a training camp at Isleworth (with his swing coach Simon Shanks, putting coach Mike Kanski and caddie Mike Burrow in preparation for the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players) that worked and that’s the plan over the next wee while.” On the back of finishing joint-11th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill then backing that up with an even stronger performance in The Players at TPC Sawgrass, MacIntyre has shown exactly why he’s been talking about his game being as good as it has ever been. “Just competing against the best in the world and actually having a chance to win,” he replied to being asked what had pleased him most about the past two weeks, having picked up more than $1 million in prize-money in the Florida double-header. “When I birdied 17 on Sunday, I thought if I could birdie 18 and get to ten under I had a chance to win that golf tournament as anything can happen down that stretch. I didn’t (make that birdie), but it’s my job at the start of the week to be in with a chance to win come Sunday.” In an event that also features former PGA champion Jimmy Walker and five-time Ryder Cup player Paul Casey, world No 14 MacIntyre is the top-ranked player in the field for its third staging but first under the Porsche title banner. “It feels good,” said MacIntyre, who is flying the Saltire along with Joburg Open champion Calum Hill, Ewen Ferguson, Grant Forrest and Richie Ramsay, of his status this week. “I’ve had it a couple of times now, but it’s no different to pitching up any other week and trying to win a golf tournament. “I was here in 2023 and loved the golf course. It’s a tough, tough test, especially when the wind gets up. With undulating fairways, it just causes carnage on certain holes. It’s just a great event. “To be honest, I don’t know how it is going to play. It is obviously going to be soft once the rain comes in tomorrow and I think there’s to be a lot of rain. But it’s just about trying to hit the golf shots. “You do the numbers, calculate everything and just try and execute it as well as you can. That’s the plan every week and it’s no different this week.”